# κακός
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

The origin is unknown, with multiple theories proposed:
* From a Proto-Indo-European *kaḱ-, *knḱ- (“slight”), and related to Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬯𐬎 (kasu, “small, slight”).
* From Proto-Indo-European *kenk- (“to burn, hunger, desire”), and related to Lithuanian keñkti (“to do harm, ache”), Proto-Germanic *hungruz (“hunger”).
* From Pre-Greek.
* Possibly connected with Proto-Indo-European *kakka- (“to defecate”); compare κακκάω (kakkáō, “id”). (Can this etymology be sourced?)
See also Phrygian κακον (kakon, “harm”), which was borrowed from Greek, and Albanian keq (“bad”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ka.kós/ → /kaˈkos/ → /kaˈkos/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /ka.kós/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /kaˈkos/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /kaˈkos/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /kaˈkos/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /kaˈkos/

### Adjective

κᾰκός • (kăkós) m (feminine κᾰκή, neuter κᾰκόν); first/second declension
* As a measure of quality: bad, worthless, useless
* As a measure of appearance: ugly, hideous
* Of circumstances: injurious, wretched, unhappy
* As a measure of character: low, mean, vile, evil

#### Usage notes

The difference between the three most common comparatives/superlatives is the following:
* κακίων (kakíōn), κάκιστος (kákistos): morally inferior, more cowardly.
* χείρων (kheírōn), χείριστος (kheíristos): inferior in strength, rank, or quality.
* ἥττων (hḗttōn), ἥκιστος (hḗkistos): inferior, weaker, less.

#### Derived terms

* κᾰ́κη (kắkē)
* κᾰκηγορέω (kăkēgoréō)
* κᾰκηγορῐ́ᾱ (kăkēgorĭ́ā)
* κᾰκήγορος (kăkḗgoros)
* κᾰκῐ́ᾱ (kăkĭ́ā)
* κᾰκῐ́ζω (kăkĭ́zō)
* κάκιστος (kákistos)
* κακο- (kako-)
* κᾰκόβῐος (kăkóbĭos)
* κᾰκοβουλῐ́ᾱ (kăkoboulĭ́ā)
* κᾰκοδαιμονῐ́ᾱ (kăkodaimonĭ́ā)
* κᾰκοδαίμων (kăkodaímōn)
* κᾰκοδοξῐ́ᾱ (kăkodoxĭ́ā)
* κᾰκόδοξος (kăkódoxos)
* κᾰκόζηλος (kăkózēlos)
* κᾰκοήθειᾰ (kăkoḗtheiă)
* κᾰκοήθης (kăkoḗthēs)
* κᾰκόθῡμος (kăkóthūmos)
* κᾰκολογέω (kăkologéō)
* κᾰκόλογος (kăkólogos)
* κᾰκομήχᾰνος (kăkomḗkhănos)
* κᾰκόνοιᾰ (kăkónoiă)
* κᾰκόνους (kăkónous)
* κᾰκοπᾰ́θειᾰ (kăkopắtheiă)
* κᾰκοπᾰθέω (kăkopăthéō)
* κᾰκοπᾰθής (kăkopăthḗs)
* κᾰκόπᾰθος (kăkópăthos)
* κᾰκοποιέω (kăkopoiéō)
* κᾰκοποιός (kăkopoiós)
* κᾰκοπολῑτείᾱ (kăkopolīteíā)
* κᾰκοπρᾱγέω (kăkoprāgéō)
* κᾰκοπρᾱγῐ́ᾱ (kăkoprāgĭ́ā)
* κᾰκοπρᾱ́γμων (kăkoprā́gmōn)
* κᾰκόσῑτος (kăkósītos)
* κᾰ́κοσμος (kắkosmos)
* κᾰκοστόμᾰχος (kăkostómăkhos)
* κᾰ́κοτεχνέω (kắkotekhnéō)
* κᾰκοτεχνῐ́ᾱ (kăkotekhnĭ́ā)
* κᾰκότεχνος (kăkótekhnos)
* κᾰκότης (kăkótēs)
* κᾰκοτροπῐ́ᾱ (kăkotropĭ́ā)
* κᾰκότροπος (kăkótropos)
* κᾰκοτυχέω (kăkotukhéō)
* κᾰκοτυχής (kăkotukhḗs)
* κᾰκουργέω (kăkourgéō)
* κᾰκούργημα (kăkoúrgēma)
* κᾰκουργῐ́ᾱ (kăkourgĭ́ā)
* κᾰκοῦργος (kăkoûrgos)
* κᾰκουχέω (kăkoukhéō)
* κᾰκοφρᾰδής (kăkophrădḗs)
* κᾰκόφρων (kăkóphrōn)
* κᾰκόφωνος (kăkóphōnos)
* κᾰκόω (kăkóō)
* κᾰ́κωσῐς (kắkōsĭs)
* κᾰχέκτης (kăkhéktēs)
* μνησῐκᾰκέω (mnēsĭkăkéō)
* μνησῐκᾰκῐ́ᾱ (mnēsĭkăkĭ́ā)
* μνησῐ́κᾰκος (mnēsĭ́kăkos)
* πᾰ́γκᾰκος (pắnkăkos)
* περῐκᾰκέω (perĭkăkéō)
* περῐκᾰ́κησῐς (perĭkắkēsĭs)
* συγκᾰκοπαθέω (sunkăkopathéō)
* συγκᾰκουργέω (sunkăkourgéō)
* τρῐσκᾰκοδαίμων (trĭskăkodaímōn)

#### Descendants

* Greek: κακός (kakós)
* Mariupol Greek: како́с (kakós)

### References

* ↑ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κακός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 619-20

### Further reading

* “κακός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “κακός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “κακός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
* κακός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
* κακός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
* “κακός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
* G2556 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
* κακός in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
* Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited. abandoned idem, page 1.abusive idem, page 5.bad idem, page 58.baleful idem, page 60.base idem, page 64.blackguard idem, page 81.blackguardly idem, page 81.calamitous idem, page 108.careless idem, page 114.corrupt idem, page 176.cowardly idem, page 181.criminal idem, page 184.debased idem, page 199.depraved idem, page 212.detrimental idem, page 220.disgraceful idem, page 233.dishonest idem, page 234.dishonourable idem, page 234.evil idem, page 286.execrable idem, page 290.feeble idem, page 313.graceless idem, page 368.grievous idem, page 373.guilty idem, page 379.harmful idem, page 386.hurtful idem, page 411.ignoble idem, page 414.ill idem, page 414.ill-omened idem, page 416.immoral idem, page 418.inauspicious idem, page 427.incompetent idem, page 429.infamous idem, page 437.iniquitous idem, page 441.injurious idem, page 441.lamentable idem, page 474.low idem, page 502.low-born idem, page 503.mean idem, page 519.mischievous idem, page 533.miserable idem, page 533.naughty idem, page 552.nefarious idem, page 554.niggardly idem, page 558.noxious idem, page 562.obscene idem, page 566.ominous idem, page 572.opprobrious idem, page 577.parlous idem, page 593.pernicious idem, page 607.pitiful idem, page 615.plebeian idem, page 620.poor idem, page 626.portentous idem, page 627.prejudicial idem, page 635.profligate idem, page 653.scandalous idem, page 737.scurvy idem, page 743.shabby idem, page 760.shameful idem, page 761.sinful idem, page 777.sinister idem, page 779.slanderous idem, page 782.sordid idem, page 794.sorry idem, page 795.squalid idem, page 807.troublesome idem, page 897.troublous idem, page 897.uncomfortable idem, page 910.undutiful idem, page 915.unfavourable idem, page 918.unfilial idem, page 918.unfortunate idem, page 918.ungentle idem, page 919.unhappy idem, page 920.unlawful idem, page 924.unlucky idem, page 924.unprincipled idem, page 928.unpropitious idem, page 928.unregenerate idem, page 929.unrighteous idem, page 930.unsatisfactory idem, page 931.unscrupulous idem, page 931.unskilful idem, page 932.vexatious idem, page 950.vicious idem, page 950.vile idem, page 952.villainous idem, page 952.weak idem, page 969.wicked idem, page 978.worthless idem, page 991.wretched idem, page 993.wrong idem, page 994.
* “κακός”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

## Greek
### Etymology

From Ancient Greek κᾰκός (kăkós).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kaˈkos/

### Adjective

κακός • (kakós) m (feminine κακή or κακιά, neuter κακό)
* bad, evil, ill, wicked
    κακοί άνθρωποι ― kakoí ánthropoi ― wicked people
    κακό μάτι ― kakó máti ― evil eye
    κακοί τρόποι ― kakoí trópoi ― bad manners
    κακής ποιότητας ― kakís poiótitas ― of poor quality, shoddy

#### Declension

Derivations: Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο κακός, etc.) Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο κακός, etc.)
comparative (?)
singular
plural
masculine
feminine
neuter
masculine
feminine
neuter
nominative
χειρότερος (cheiróteros)
χειρότερη (cheiróteri)
χειρότερο (cheirótero)
χειρότεροι (cheiróteroi)
χειρότερες (cheiróteres)
χειρότερα (cheirótera)
genitive
χειρότερου (cheiróterou)
χειρότερης (cheiróteris)
χειρότερου (cheiróterou)
χειρότερων (cheiróteron)
χειρότερων (cheiróteron)
χειρότερων (cheiróteron)
accusative
χειρότερο (cheirótero)
χειρότερη (cheiróteri)
χειρότερο (cheirótero)
χειρότερους (cheiróterous)
χειρότερες (cheiróteres)
χειρότερα (cheirótera)
vocative
χειρότερε (cheirótere)
χειρότερη (cheiróteri)
χειρότερο (cheirótero)
χειρότεροι (cheiróteroi)
χειρότερες (cheiróteres)
χειρότερα (cheirótera)
Derivations: relative superlative: ο + comparative forms (eg "ο χειρότερος", etc) :

#### Synonyms

* φαύλος (fávlos, “villanous, corrupt, vicious”)

#### Antonyms

* καλός (kalós, “good”)

#### Related terms

* αναγκαίο κακό n (anagkaío kakó, “necessary evil”)
* κακά n (kaká, “poo, poop”)
* κακάδι n (kakádi, “scab”)
* κάκαδο n (kákado, “scab”)
* κακία f (kakía, “spite, malice”)
* κάκια f (kákia, “hostility”)
* κάκιστα (kákista, “worst”, adverb, superlative)
* κάκιστος (kákistos, “worst”)
* κακίστρα f (kakístra, “spiteful, sinister -of a woman-”) κακίστρω f (kakístro) (familiar)
* κακό n (kakó, “evil”)
* κακο- (kako-, “bad, difficult”)
* κακόν n (kakón, “evil”) (formal)
* κακότητα f (kakótita, “badness, evil”)
* κακώς (kakós, “mistakenly”, adverb)

#### See also

* διαβολικός (diavolikós, “devilish”)
* σατανικός (satanikós, “devilish”)
* πονηρός (ponirós, “cunning, sly”)